One More Time
by LezBCatholic
Summary: Post ME3. Dr. T'Soni and her father need to find Shepard. How many Asari Commandos, Shadow Broker connections, and various Shepard supporters does it take to find the possibly dead commander? Liara will never stop looking, holding Shep to her promise to always come back, even if it means back from the grave again. [FemShepxLiara] M for language, situations, and Shiara loveliness.
1. Alone and Apart

A/N: My goodness, it's been ages since I've made ANY fanfiction at all!

To get back in the game, here we are with a totally new realm of fanfictions for me. I played my way through the Mass Effect Trilogy and was so dissatisfied with the ending (like everyone else) that I NEEDED a FemShep/Liara happy ending. It is happening.

To any of my loyal followers who haven't given up hope on my other stories, Dirty Blood may get some new chapters soon... not sure just yet. I may be persuaded if there's anyone who has read it and wants to know that Lily/Bellatrix isn't dead forever lol 3

Anyway! Welcome back to me! And here we go! :D

* * *

><p>"Doctor T'Soni…" Samantha Traynor's voice with its admittedly adorable accent came from the other side of the door. She would not open it though. She could not let anyone else within… they would ruin what was left. It was as if Liara T'Soni had turned the old Captain's quarters into a ruin for her to hide away in by herself. If she didn't lock herself in a Prothean defense bubble or get found by Cerberus, she could simply stay here surrounded by the scent of her lover for the rest of her 900 year life and pretend that none of this ever occurred… she could just wait here… for however long it took Shepard to return this time.<p>

It was a good plan, she thought… until they forced the door open. It was her father that walked in then and Liara was forced to wonder just how long she had been laying there. She had not eaten in however long it was… so hopefully not a week, that was a bit much, to not eat in a week.

"Come on, kid…" Matriarch Aethyta said, sitting on the bed, looking over her daughter. "You have got to pull through this." Liara's face was covered in tears and the Matriarch sighed softly, picking her up. As the older Asari pulled the girl to her chest, she also pulled her mind into her own. As fond as Aethyta was at poking fun at her daughter, even she knew when was an appropriate time. She kept dirty feelings, less than wholesome memories of Benezia, out of the shallow bond that she shared with her daughter, showing her something sweet and calming: a beach at sunset, the feeling of sand between bare toes and the love she felt for Nezzy who giggled, smiling and splashing, a young Maiden out having fun with her bondmate at the time. One hundred years of romance, punctuated with a baby who was now 109 herself… It was an old memory, but Liara could tell from the intensity of the emotions that it was one the matriarch brought to her consciousness often.

"I cannot… I cannot lose her again." Liara sobbed into her father's chest, breaking down into a ball of tears.

"You won't, Little Wing…"

"I already have. Don't you see that?" Liara almost yelled, but her words were choked by tears.

"Well… uhh… I don't want to uhh… get your hopes up, but… all of my commandos and… all of the Shadow Broker's informants are looking for her. You made using those terminals pretty easy, kiddo." Her father said, rubbing her back lightly as she held the young Asari close. "Losing them hurts the worst…and it doesn't get any easier… but you're not going to feel any better laying in her room. You need a shower, kid… some food, knowing you, you probably need to do some work, distract yourself."

"I do not wish to move." Liara said firmly and Aethyta chuckled.

"Well that insinuates I'll let you continue laying here until you die. That isn't going to happen." She said, lifting the Asari maiden into her arms and carrying her, despite the struggling, to Captain Shepard's shower. After a considerable struggle, the Matriarch got the girl to part with her clothes after she promised to let Liara wear Shepard's sweatshirt if she showered. Liara finally agreed and gave herself a shower since it was either that or her father washing her like she was only 30… not going to happen.

The shower was admittedly very needed and stress relieving, but Liara broke down into tears more than once and nearly vomited twice as she thought of herself showering while Shepard lay dead and alone someplace. After about half an hour, she stepped out of the shower wrapped in a towel. Aethyta had gone poking around Shepard's room and handed Liara a decent amount of clothing when she appeared, the N7 sweatshirt on top.

"Thank you…" Liara said in a tired voice that was hoarse, from crying, and weary. She dressed herself and followed Aethyta downstairs, knowing the alternative was being dragged, carried, or worse. She refused to let the remaining crew see her in such a dishonorable way.

Everyone grew quiet when she walked into the mess hall so she turned on her heel and headed for her office. "If you're so intent on feeding me, dad, I'll be working; just bring me something." It was Garrus that appeared next, however. He placed a meal on a table nearby and touched her back gently.

"I know you're not a fan of crowds… or many people in general." He said gently. "But if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. I loved Shepard too… maybe not the same way, but she was very dear to me. We will find her. She's been lucky before. We just need one more time." She swallowed hard and nodded gently.

"I'm going to find her." Liara whispered and he smiled, touching her head affectionately before leaving her alone. Everyone knew Liara liked her alone time… aside from Aethyta, so most of them left her be for the next few hours. The Matriarch would pop in to bother her every so often, but it was so much like whenever Shepard would come to her after each mission and look for attention while she was busy that… it was almost welcome.

* * *

><p>"You're thinking too much, Little Wing. You're special, but even you can't go without food." It had been hours and Liara had completely forgotten that Garrus had brought her dinner. She relinquished the computer screens, taking her food to her bed and eating it under the watchful eye of her father.<p>

"I did something… horribly selfish… I should not have done it and… I don't regret it, but…" She sighed, looking at her food.

"What would that be?" asked Aethyta as she sat the on the bed beside her daughter.

"Before she left… I bonded with her… one last time… just to… say goodbye… but when I noticed that… I could just…"

"Ohhh man, kid…" Aethyta pulled the younger Asari into her arms and held her close.

"I do not regret it." She repeated as she leaned into her father's shoulder. "I will always have a part of her with me… it's just… I remember, growing up… how I wanted my dad there… sorry." She gave a half smile and kissed Aethyta's cheek.

"No, that's fair. I wanted to be there too, but the older you got, the less it seemed like you'd ever want to know someone like me… Your mother was far nicer than me and I was nowhere near as smart or influential as her…"

"I want my child's father to be here with us." Liara said firmly and Aethyta smiled.

"I'll get her back for you then."


	2. Games and Secrets

"Check mate." Traynor said with a huge grin, leaping up from the table. Her chess set had been recovered… or she had bought a new set, Liara didn't know which. The Asari was venturing out of her room for the first time, heading to get some food. She was eating regularly once again, mostly because, as her father had pointed out, she needed to feed the possible child inside of her. If not eating for herself, she had to sustain the possibly last remaining piece of Shepard. If Shep was dead… and if Liara actually was pregnant, the child would be all she had left. She had to ensure the little one's health as much as she made sure she searched for Shepard.

"Doctor T'Soni, if you have time later, would you like to play a game with me?" Samantha asked, obviously tired of little wins against Aethyta and Vega. Playing with Liara would certainly be a fresh challenge, at least.

"I don't really have time to play games…" Liara said, trying not to sound too harsh. She jumped a little when she heard Aethyta's deep chuckle in her ear.

"Little Wing, you're only 100, you've still got at least 900 years to look forward to. You have time for a game of chess with the little English lesbian." The older Asari teased and smirked. "She's pretty good at it. Even beat me a couple of times."

"I beat you every time." Traynor said with a cocky grin, leaning back in her chair.

"And all this work will eventually stress you out." The Matriarch had a point and Liara allowed herself to be pushed gently down into the chair across from Traynor. "Don't go easy on her like you do when you play me. She needs the distraction. Too much work, no play." Aethyta told Traynor then headed to make Liara some lunch. She soon realized she was horrible at cooking and got one of the others to help her instead.

By the time the Matriarch returned, Liara had gotten properly immersed in the game, her brow furrowed as she leaned forward, examining the other woman's last move. Good… Aethyta thought to herself… Liara really did need a distraction, even for just a little while. She placed the sandwich at her daughter's shoulder and took a seat watching them. Glyph started heading out of the doctor's office and the older Asari quickly jumped to intercept it, turning the glowing orb around and back into the office.

"Glyph, she needs a little time away from all of this… what is it?" The instinctively maternal nature of the woman kicked in. Liara was working herself too hard and it killed her father to know the pain she was feeling.

"Another unsuccessful search party… it has been so long… even if Commander Shepard made it out of the fight alive… she'd be now three weeks without food or water… chance of survival is less than 1 percent." Aethyta sighed softly, rubbing her head.

"Do not tell Liara that."

"But I am programmed to…"

"I know…I know, but she is in a very delicate position right now. She cannot know about this right now." The Asari said firmly. "I am her father, I know what is best for her at this moment and hearing that will devastate her." She went to the shadow broker terminal and deleted news of the search party's lack of findings. She then deleted emails from Liara's mail as well to cover up the horrible news.

* * *

><p>"Check!" Liara said a little too loudly and, Aethyta was happy to hear a little excitement in her tone.<p>

"What? No way!" Traynor argued a little in shock and the game continued.

"I'm going to Earth." Aethyta said, heading for the elevator as she walked past her daughter and the human female.

"Wait, I want to come with you…" The younger Asari insisted, though she wasn't about to be drawn away from the game. She pushed another piece into play with a little hint of a smirk on her face.

"I'll be right back, Liara. Don't panic. I just want to see what kind of damage was done. We need fuel if we're going to get to Thessia."

"Wait, Thessia?" Liara looked up.

"As one of the Matriarchs, I need to be back on Thessia to help rebuild. It might be nice for you to see home as well. I remember my first pregnancy; it was nice to be around other Asari for a little while. They know what you're going through where other species have different baby making processes."

"Check." Traynor said and Liara's head whirled back to the board.

"Dad, don't leave…" Liara insisted and, not even wishing an angry Liara on her worst enemy, Aethyta sat back down.

"I'll take you with me, if you win." She said and Liara's eyes lit up even more, almost looking alive again.

The blue youth made a few more plays and she was soon cornering Traynor. Samantha's queen, rooks, and knights were all gone leaving her a king, two pawns, and a bishop. She was going to lose, but she refused to admit defeat and just knock the king over. She drew it out as long as possible, but before long, Liara said, "Check mate." and leaned back in her chair with a big smile.

"Oh we're so going to have a rematch when you get back!" Traynor insisted, wiping sweat from her brow with her left hand as she extended the right for a show of good faith. Liara shook the girl's hand with a smile and nodded.

"Fair enough… Now, you." She turned on her father who smirked a little.

"Eat up and we'll go, feisty pants." Aethyta promised and Liara never thought she could eat so fast.

* * *

><p>AN: Chapter 2 everyone :D

Well meaning critiques are always welcome, but I don't like the rude ones, that's so not necessary.

I'm enjoying Aethyta/Liara bonding. They only got to do a very, very little in the game and Aethy is already 1000 so who knows how long she has left. She wants to be a grandpa before that happens. ;D and a good dad lol

Let me know any thoughts and suggestions. They're always welcome. I have the basic idea of where this is going, but a lot isn't even written in my head yet so totally open to suggestions.


	3. Found and Lost

"When your mother left… I found it very hard to forgive her. I wanted to be with you, I wanted to have you, but everyone had seen her pregnant… too risky, she said. I loved her… you have to love someone to bond with them, I think… or maybe that's just me."

"If so, we have that in common. I never even contemplated bonding until I met Shepard." Liara said softly, sitting beside her father as they flew in a small shuttle to Earth.

"Well, yeah… but you're just a kid. If Shepard wasn't a baby herself in our years, I'd kick her ass. She's too old for you… still, she's pretty good for you. She has a fire, that one. The same kind of thing your mother liked in me. A bit of a bad girl side… but not enough to hurt ya'." Aethyta said and Liara laughed softly.

"Bad girl, huh?"

"Well, she did work for Cerberus. I know, I know. Just to fight the Reapers, I got it. Just let it be known that I wouldn't have let anyone less worthy get close to you." Liara's smile was fond and affectionate.

"Then we'd better find her… or I'll find some new bondmate who likes killing people and /still/ works for Cerberus." It was an extremely idle threat. They were both fully aware that Liara might not recover from this if Shepard was dead.

"We'll find her, Little Wing. Don't you think so much. Me and Shepard, we got another thing in common. Dumb luck. She's come back from the dead once, we both got to bond with the two most beautiful Asari women in the cosmos, I got to meet my gorgeous, extremely intelligent daughter and she didn't completely hate me… we're both very lucky ladies. She can survive this."

"You're the best dad a girl could ever have." Liara whispered, smiling even as tears ran slowly down her face. She could only hope that her father was right.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Liara… for the longest time after we hadn't been bonded anymore, I could still connect with your mother if she was close enough… to be honest, that's why I moved away." Aethyta said as they stood at the foot of Big Ben in London. People, wreckage, and reconstruction surrounded them. Everything was abuzz with energy and life… but at the same time, a sense of being defeated. It was an odd juxtaposition of life and death. They needed Shepard like she did… Their loss was like her own… yet while they mourned, they rebuilt, readied themselves for new life, like her body did.<p>

"I don't know if I can…" She said softly and Aethyta shook her softly.

"You are the most powerful information broker in the universe. You are the fiercest little bird I've ever met. You are strong and brave. You faced down Cerberus, Reapers, and Goddess knows what else. You studied and then met Protheans. You can do anything." Liara closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Embrace… eternity…" She whispered, reaching out for Shepard. Other consciousness' reached out to her like opposing magnets, but she was looking for one in particular. Then, for just a moment… but it was gone. Swearing under her breath, she shook her head with defeat.

"Shhh, try again…"

It was stronger this time, less trepid. Suddenly, they snapped like puzzle pieces and Liara's world was suddenly filled with pain. Her arm hurt… a LOT… but only to the elbow, the rest was unfeeling… her chest felt ablaze with pain as she sucked in a ragged breath and winced. Her other arm was on fire as well and she could not feel her toes at all. Her head was throbbing as blood filled it and slowly beat around her body. Everything around her was fuzzy, but painfully bright.

"_Help… Liara… Li… Liara… I'm sorry…"_

"_Come back to me… You promised. I'm holding you to it, Shepard."_

"_I can't move." _

"_Get up!" _

Liara could not tell if any of that was said aloud or just all in her head, but she soon got pushed back and she stumbled, her eyes wide as she returned to her own body.

"Shepard…"

"You did find her!" Aethyta couldn't believe she'd had a good idea for once. Benezia had always been the smart one, she was just suave and charming, but she'd actually helped on this one.

* * *

><p>"Wait, what's that?" There was a shifting of rocks nearby. He was sure he'd heard it. They had been sure everyone around here was dead. That's why they could loot in peace… but…<p>

"Liara…" She coughed softly, pushing herself up from the rocks. Good… her legs were still here… and working… Her arm though… As she looked down at it, it was gone… Where? It didn't matter. She had to find Liara. She was here…

"Holy shit… is that Commander Shepard?" His partner whispered. She had yet to detect them, lurking there. He nodded slowly and smirked. She'd fetch a /much/ better price than any junk they found here…and no one would believe it to be the real Shepard, just a look alike…even better… because they wouldn't give her up, they'd keep her for free sex or even just to guard their house. She was a little worse for wear, but they had pieces to fix her up.

"Stun gun?" He whispered, reaching out.

* * *

><p>"Shepard… where are you?" Liara slipped back. This would be the last time she could, she was really tired, reaching out that far for her… but it was easier this time.<p>

She returned to Shepard's body, feeling her on her feet. _"Good girl… I'm so proud of you. Come home to me… show me where you are." _Was that all the female hormones? Good girl? She sounded like a protective mother… getting ready, she supposed.

"Getting ready for what? Liara, you're thinking too much in the wrong head." Shepard laughed, but it filled both of them with a shock of pain and she coughed a little.

"Sorry." Liara smiled. "Look up for me." Shepard's body obliged and their eyes took in a sight of Big Ben in the distance. Not too far, but a few considerably large rubble piles away.

"Can you find me?"

"I think so. Don't go anywhere, Shepard. I will find you."

"Yes, ma'am, Commander."

"Always one for jokes when things are bad. I love you."

"I love you too, Liara." Then things went silent. Shepard got a firm footing and moved to sit down, but as she shifted, a searing, electrical pain rippled through her body. "F…fuck…" She gasped as she fell, paralyzed to the rocks below. Above her, he smirked down and picked her up.

"Here, commander, we'll leave this for your girlfriend." He said, ripping the chain from around her neck and dropping the dogtags to the debris beneath them as he carried her off.


	4. Friends and Family

"Where is Shepard?" Dr. Chakwas asked in a tone low enough as to not be heard by the others, including Liara. It was clear when the pair re-boarded that the Commander was not with them, but they had all heard from the ground that the woman had been located. Aethyta motioned her head and walked into the medbay with the human woman so they could speak in privacy.

"Liara sensed her, spoke to her… but by the time we got there… she was gone. Liara couldn't find her anymore and the search party that followed found nothing." They both sighed.

"That girl is like a daughter to me…" Karin admitted softly, looking away.

"We're gonna find her. At the very least, we know she's alive. No one who took her would let her die… I think I said that a million times to Liara on the way back… she's heartbroken…all over again."

"Hopefully we can all make it out of this… and you and I can be mothers of the brides." Aethyta smiled at the doctor and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We'll get her back. I have to… or else I might lose my little girl too."

"Isn't your daughter 109 years old?" Karin asked with a smirk.

"She's a baby on our planet. Like a 10 year old for yours. And she's my girl. Even if I do have to share her with Shepard." She smiled back and the pair shared a few drinks and a couple stories of their younger selves. Liara needed alone time anyway.

* * *

><p>She was back in the Captain's cabin, wrapped up in Shepard's blanket which smelled amazing and like the pair of them. Her eyes were closed and she was, once again, imagining laying here just waiting for Shepard to make it back. Tears were rolling… Her father was right, of course… Shepard was alive; she knew that now. Still, after getting so close that she could literally sense her just to have her disappear all over again was horribly painful.<p>

Nothing had ever been easy with Shepard, though. Liara knew that too… Dammit, Shepard… you were supposed to come back to me… Liara buried her face in her lover's pillow and sobbed until sleep overcame her.

"I love you, Liara." Shepard smirked lightly, stroking the top of the "alien's" head. She looked perfect, lying on top of her like that. Liara desired that more than anything else in the world right now. She regretted all the times that Shepard would come to speak to her and she was too busy to return the conversation: when the redhead would insist that Liara give her attention, walk around her or poke around on the terminals that surrounded Liara as the blue woman ignored her presence and continued her work. How she would stand at Liara's bed and the overwhelming urge to tackle her would overcome Liara… yet… she never did and now she could not.

"You're thinking too much." This had to be a dream, but dream Shepard sounded just like her real counterpart. "And I'm not a dream. I'm not with you, but I'm in your head. I'm real. This isn't a normal dream." The other woman insisted and Liara gazed at her in questioning.

"Are you sure? How can I be sure? We're connected. You could just be the part of Shepard that's always in my head." Shepard rolled her eyes and kissed her softly.

"You're thinking too much." The human repeated when their lips parted slowly.

"I love you too, Shepard." Liara finally responded and Jane laughed at her softly. The human used her hand to gently pin one of Liara's.

"See? I have one arm. I'm the real Shepard."

"Where are you?! I'll come to get you!" Liara instantly insisted and gently flipped them, looking over her lover for wounds, but in her brain, Shepard was uninjured. Even her arm just ended in a clean place as if she were wearing an invisible glove that covered elbow to hand.

"I don't know, I haven't woken up yet. I think I only woke up at all because you were there… You brought me back, Liara."

"Where did you go? I told you…"

"Someone tazer-ed me… took me away… before I could say a word. They left my…"

"I know… I got those…" Liara reached for the dogtags which now swung around her neck over the N7 sweatshirt. That made Shepard laugh and kiss Liara's cheek gently.

"It looks more like you want to become me." The commander teased softly, grinning as it made the Asari turn pink and light shades of purple. The woman stroked her bondmate's cheek and kissed blue lips deeply.

"I need you. Help me find you." Liara whimpered.

"I'll wake up. Eventually. I'll come back to you." Jane promised. "I don't know how long that will take. You might have to come find me this time." She said and left Liara one more affectionate kiss.

And Liara woke… She tried for the rest of the day to fall back into sleep, but it was ineffectual. She eventually had to get up, dress, work, eat… She worked tirelessly on her terminals. Shepard was out there someplace. She would find her. Each time she began to despair, Liara thought of Shepard saying "Come and find me, Liara" which always drove her forward.

* * *

><p>"Find anything, kid?"<p>

"She's been kidnapped… probably… slavers, right? Batarians. Who else would sell other living people?"

"Hold on, hold on… You don't know it was a slaver. What if it was a rescue party?"

"They used a stun gun."

"How do you know that."

"She… was in my dream."

"She was or you dreamt of her."

"She insisted that she was real."

"What did she say?"

"That someone… well she said tazered which is ridiculous. I'm assuming she meant a stun gun… that's what… they used a stun gun…" She trailed off, thinking a whole lot, despite the warnings from her bondmate and father about such a thing.

"And, what else?"

"She hasn't woken up since. She thinks that the only reason she's alive and was awake was because I got close and found her."

"Then we need to do that again."

"Right… we just have to find her general location first."

"Can you trace any of her biotics?" Liara looked at her father with wide eyes. This startled Aethyta which made her take half a step back until Liara leapt out of the chair and hugged the other Asari tightly. Aethyta instinctively embraced the girl and rested her cheek on her head.

"You're a genius."

"Naw. I just read a lot to be like you and your mother." Aethyta insisted, laughing softly.

"No, that is brilliance. It's so simple… I would have /never/ thought of it. All of my solutions were far more complicated and would have messed everything up."

"Matriarch Aethyta, stating the obvious since the human twelve-hundreds." They both smiled at that one.

"You're so much like Shepard. It's a little scary." Liara said softly as she looked at her terminals. "I'm going to need to talk to… Engineer Adams… Um… Traynor, EDI…"

"Ah, ah. First, you need a medical exam."

"What?"

"You're not eating, you're not sleeping soundly, and you might be pregnant. We need to make sure that you and the baby are going to be okay with all of this stress you /insist/ on placing on your shoulders."

"I do not have time for…"

"Oh yes you do. Even Shepard said that she hadn't woken up yet. You have plenty of time to find her now that we know she's alive someplace. We have to make sure she has a family to come back to."


	5. Blood Rage and Compromise

"Liara is perfectly fine." Doctor Chakwas declared, looking at the last couple of tests. Aethyta has waltzed in, unannounced and uninvited, of course, making her daughter curl up under her meager "clothes". The father smiled proudly and nodded.

"Good, I'm glad. What about my grandkid?"

"Perfectly healthy as well and growing at the usual rate for an Asari fetus." This made Liara blush a little. So she was pregnant.

"How am I going to tell Shepard?"

"Tell her it was an accident. Humans usually don't know any better unless they're smart or doctors." They both looked at Chakwas who smirked, obviously being one human who knew better.

"Liara, Shepard will understand the truth and I'm sure she'll be very happy about it too. She came in here not too long ago declaring that she wasn't joking about the blue children thing and that as soon as this mess was over, she was going to mention it again. So you jumped the gun, there was a chance you'd never see her again. I'm sure she'll be pleased." The blue woman turned even more pink and purple. She wanted advice from someone who wasn't regarded as old on their home planet or… what she wanted most was to be dressed… or with Shepard.

"Did you lie to your Hanar lover, father?"

"No." Aethyta smiled. "Have you met your sister yet?"

"I have not."

"You can when we go to Thessia."

"I forgot about Thessia… When were you planning on going?"

"As soon as possible."

"After we find Shepard."

"No, before we find Shepard. You can set up your intelligence broker things in an apartment on our own planet."

"Father! I cannot…"

"You can, Liara… Doc, was there any sign of stress during your tests?"

"Yes, quite a bit too. I've already advised bed rest to Liara, but she insisted it be after Shepard is found."

"Stress can mess up a kid, Liara…"

"Then stop stressing me out." Liara snapped and Aethyta held up her hands as the younger Asari stormed past her. Liara grabbed her clothes and went to her own room, locking the door behind her angrily.

"Blood rage…"

"Don't only Krogan have…"

"I'm half, she's a quarter."

"I don't think it works that way…"

* * *

><p>Almost a day passed before she was seen again, emerging from her work. She went first to Engineer Adams, then Traynor, then Joker and EDI. By the time Aethyta caught her, she was headed back to work. The Matriarch put a plate in the girl's hand. It smelled amazing and Liara recognized it immediately. Her mother used to make it all the time back on Thessia.<p>

"Did you teach her this?"

"No, other way around… it's just about all I can cook too." Aethyta admitted. Liara walked back to her office, but didn't lock the door behind her this time.

"So, I saw you talking to Samantha."

"I found out that Shepard is somewhere in the Artemis Tau Cluster."

"That's great! We can…"

"Of course, Artemis Tau has probably the most planets among its four stars… It's funny… I was stuck in a Prothean ruin on Therum when Shepard and I first met." Liara smiled a little. "This time, it's 'go find Commander Shepard'. It's… perfect for a pair like us." Aethyta stroked the girl's head.

"I don't suppose I can talk you into coming home first?"

"That isn't going to…"

"It's on the way."

"It's in the completely opposite direction…"

"The crew needs a little rest."

"Why do you want to go there so badly?"

"I need to see the damage for myself… to know… how to rebuild it to its former glory."

"It's really bad, father… and it's my fault so even if we did go back, they wouldn't really want…"

"Wait, hold up. Is that why you don't want to go back?"

"Would you want to go back? If you were the pureblood daughter of a Matriarch bartender and an amazingly good woman who went crazy and got indoctrinated? If you were the one that was viewed as a child and a pariah, the shadow broker with shady connections? If you were the one that planned to save everyone and instead got her home planet blown up and lost everything she had on Earth? No. I doubt it."

"Oh, Liara…" The softness in Aethyta's voice was a little startling despite the flood of half insults, half pain poured out her daughter's mouth, but then again, Aethyta had probably heard plenty worse, plenty harsher words before.

"I just want Shepard back…"

"I know you do… will you feel better going back if she's here to tell you that all of that is ridiculous? I don't think I could tell you any better than she could." Liara nodded slowly.

"Alright. Let's go get her back and she can recover on Thessia. We can both get what we want."

* * *

><p>This cluster was huge… so many planets to search. At each, they scanned, no longer worried about Reaper forces. They searched and searched for any sign of the missing Commander. Proteus finally gave them what they were looking for. Aethyta, Chakwas, Liara, and Garrus boarded a shuttle to head to the planet's surface and find Shepard.<p>

"This looks like Kahje." Aethyta whispered as they broke through the dense clouds toward the surface of the planet… of course… it was covered in water so they had to search for a while to find how to get beneath the waves. They discovered a docking bay, like a large, vertical parking garage, made to withstand the elements as the water planet seemed to be very stormy.

"We don't know what's awaiting us down there…" Garrus said, looking at the doctor who looked mildly offended.

"I'll have you know I was an expert marksman in my thirties." Chakwas replied making the others laugh a little. Aethyta handed her a gun and helped her get into some armor so she wouldn't be facing the bullets head on without protection.

"Let's go." Liara said with a smirk, but Aethyta stopped them. "You need to wear more armor." The woman said and Liara's brow furrowed a little.

"Why is that?" Both older women looked at her like she was crazy. She rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. I can protect…"

"No way. Here… wear your girlfriend's armor."

"It'll be too big and it'll get in the way of my biot…"

"Then use your gun and stay in the back. I'm not losing my first grandkid in a gun fight for her dad." Liara thought of losing the child that was depending on her to keep her safe as well as get her father back and gave in, dressing in the old-style metal armor that Shepard was so fond of, with a dragon painted in blood over the shoulder. She realized, though, soon enough that this was just paint, not blood at all.

"Let's go." She said again and this time, they all agreed, running down the corridor of the structure and piling into the elevator to get down to the heart of whatever base was keeping Shepard, guns blazing and ready to go.

* * *

><p>AN: Up Next: A gun fight to save Shepard! Actiony loveliness!

Coming Soon: A whole lot of R&R for our heroes? When does that ever happen in the ME series? XD

I love reviews so let me know your thoughts, unless they're horrible o_o then don't XD but I do love to hear what you're thinking.


	6. Security and Danger

It wasn't exactly what they were expecting…

"A… a whore house…"

"Looks like it." Weapons were checked at the door, armor too.

"See? I didn't need that armor after all." Liara teased as she walked past her father. She had asked herself maybe 100 times already if she was positive about the implant tracing… now that she was here, looking at scantily clad men and women serving drinks and much more to eager patrons, she asked herself 100 more times. The readings had been accurate, though… Shepard was, unfortunately, here.

"I can tell you one thing, Shepard better be one of the whores…" Aethyta muttered under her breath.

"A fan of Commander Shepard?" A sly Drell questioned, seeming too, creepily, appear from a darkened corner. Liara looked at him, doing her best not to glare bitterly. Everyone in this place disgusted her…

"I am… do you have any humans who happen to look like her?" Liara spoke up.

"It just so happens I purchased a look-alike from a few fine gentlemen not two days ago. They insisted that she was the real thing, just proves how perfect she is in resembling the commander herself." Liara glanced to the others and smirked.

"I'd like to see this find of yours… if you'd be so kind." He grinned like a crocodile and she followed him to a room in the back.

"Unfortunately, she has not yet woken up so we're only allowing Asari customers to…enjoy her… but I'm sure you can still have plenty of fun with her. Money up front, of course." He said. She closed the door, locked it, and unleashed. Soon, the reptile man was lying, bleeding, on the floor of the room.

"Filth…" Her eyes flickered from him to the body of the commander who lay quite still on a bed within. Liara straddled her gently, looking at her clothes. They had dressed her in some skin-tight leather… thing… Liara had to admit the view was… but she shook her head and stroked the Commander's red bangs away from her eyes. New scars covered the woman's body, complementing the ones already there… and her new arm was made entirely of metal… it was cybernetic, but still, Liara would miss the woman's real hand. She wondered how many nerves the woman had in this new arm.

Liara eventually realized that she wasn't doing anything, just sitting here staring at an unconscious Shepard. It obviously was her so what was Liara waiting for? She closed her eyes and pressed their forehead's together. Embrace Eternity… She didn't even know if she'd said it aloud or not.

"_Hi there…"_

"_Hello, beautiful. Did you miss me?"_

"_I definitely did. I had to push out like 3 other Asari women… where the hell am I?"_

"_A whore house."_

"_I'm in a whore house?!"_

"_It's time to wake up and get out of this horrible place. I already killed a sleazy guy that wanted me to pay to have you for an hour." _Liara helped to pull Shepard back into consciousness and grinned at her when the woman's eyes opened slowly.

"Owww… my head…" Shepard winced, rubbing it to prove its aching. Liara's fingers slid into the human's hair as she pushed her back and kissed her deeply, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You were dead again…" She whispered against Shepard's lips before deepening the kiss once more. Shepard smiled into the sign of affection and slid her arms gently around the other woman's body gently.

"I survived again. Thanks to you."

"Always." They both grinned.

"You need clothes."

"And a gun."

* * *

><p>Before long, the pair burst from the room, blazing. The whores took note and most ran for the exit quickly. The others who had accompanied Liara stood in an instant, the Asari and Salarian smirking a little too much.<p>

"Did you two get to see a show?" Shepard asked as she gunned down the bartender as he moved to shoot.

"We should be asking the same of Liara." Doctor Chakwas asked.

"Oh it's good to be back. TAKE COVER!" Shepard commanded. It was like riding a bicycle, Liara was sure. They ducked behind an overturned table together and Liara smiled as she watched Shep look up over a table and gun down a few guards as they burst through the doors. The rest of their weapons were in the check at the front of the complex so Liara and Shepard were the main force in the assault. Eventually, Shepard tossed the gun to Garrus and used her own biotics to fight.

"Advance!" Liara called out as she leapt over the table and charged at a new hiding spot behind a counter, but as she ran, a guard looked up out of his own cover and shot. Liara felt it bite into the flesh of her tummy and rolled behind the counter, looking down at her own, white armor, Shepard's was back at the check.

"LIARA! Are you okay?" Aethyta called out as Shepard pounded the man's head into a wall furiously.

"I think so!"

She ran her finger along the wound and tried to imagine how far it would have made it in, but her brain couldn't handle that much thought as she was getting shot at. She looked up and created a singularity orb to help the others before getting back into cover and closing her eyes.

Eventually, the fire-fight stopped and Shepard leapt over the bar, looking at the injured woman. She lifted her up and carried her out of that place, the others following.

On the way back to the Normandy from the planet's surface, Shepard collapsed, the adrenaline and pain medication she was on wearing off quickly after they left the building. Doctor Chakwas attended her and they all knew that both Shepards might be in danger by the time they got back to the ship.

* * *

><p>Liara lay on one of the hospital beds and Shepard was on the other, a curtain separating them. Liara had argued, but the medical doctor insisted because seeing Shepard in that state would cause unnecessary stress to Liara. The Asari was given a saline drip full of vitamins and a pain medication and then was given something to get her to sleep soundly while they patched her up, ran some tests, and did what they could for the baby to make sure everything was okay. Astonishingly, they said nothing aloud about the growing infant, at least not that the Asari heard. All she could hear as she drifted into the darkness were the sounds of them attending to Commander Shepard so close by. She wanted to be awake and holding her hand, but Liara had to give in for now… to make sure Shepard had a family to live for… Everyone had to be okay…<p> 


	7. Safety and Growth

"Shepard!" Liara pushed herself up from her bed, but the other woman put her hand up and smiled a little.

"At ease, soldier." Shepard reached the bed and gently pushed Liara back into it, crawling in beside her. She slipped her arms around Liara's waist, drawing her in close, spooning with her.

"How are you feeling?" The Asari asked, looking down at Shepard's arms. "Dr. Chakwas found a better arm for you. This one at least looks real."

"It feels pretty real too, though that might be phantom limb setting in." Shepard smiled against the back of Liara's shoulder. "I can feel things with it. Like holding you."

"Always the charmer. You did not answer my question."

"I'm fine, Liara. For real, I promise you." Liara could feel the curve of Shepard's lips even through her clothes. "I should be asking how you feel. Everyone seemed pretty upset when you got hit. I can understand, but you're a grown up, you can handle a bullet. So why were they so freaked?" Liara turned in Shepard's arms, bringing their bodies together and nuzzling into her bondmate's body.

"Are you going to leave me again?" Liara whispered softly into Shepard's neck as they lay entangled.

"No."

"You can't promise me that." Liara smiled a little, but her words were serious.

"I never had fun being a whore… never had fun being dead… didn't really have much of anything playing puppet for Cerberus… I'm running out of creative options to stay away from you."

"Why would you want to?"

"To make sure that you're the one thing I will always come back to." The smirk on the Commander's face had about two extra dollops of charm added into it and Liara melted a little like butter.

"Commander Shepard, you are smooth." The Asari woman admitted, grinning a little and burying her face in the other woman's chest.

"I know. That's what you like so much about me." Shepard purred.

"But really… could you see yourself settled down, white picket fence or whatever silly thing your species imagines as settled with children living some 'happily ever after'."

"Were you studying my species again, Doctor?" Shepard smiled, stroking Liara's cheek softly. "I don't know… I've never tried it… I grew up on ships. I grew up playing heroine trying to save the planet or the cute girl or the y'know… galaxy."

"I would get mad if you did not save it."

"But with you… I want that brood of blue children, the place to come home to, whether it's a house with a big back yard, an apartment on the new Citadel, the Normandy… as long as you and our children are there, that's home enough for me. I'm almost half mech now…Dr. Chakwas predicts that, unless my brain starts to decay, I can live way longer than the rest of human kind. We just have to watch out for dementia and make sure to watch out when I'm getting normal, human older to slow down the process…"

"Shepard…" Liara smiled and kissed the other woman deeply, pushing her gently onto her back as she straddled her waist. "About the blue children…"

The human looked up, watching the other woman's eyes to make sure she wasn't about to give bad news. If those tears were sadness, not just Liara being touched by her words… but the Asari smiled back at her, lifting Shepard's hands to her belly and side, holding one to the center of her tummy. As Shepard gently stroked the fabric there, she could feel the resistance of Liara's body. She was firmer than before, where once she was so soft. It was never that Liara was fat, but tummies are like pillows almost.

"You're the one thinking too much." Liara smiled and kissed Shepard's forehead. "Your… gift… when I said goodbye… I couldn't… I wanted it so much… and you could have died… so I…" The cogs were turning slowly behind Shep's eyes. After a moment, her eyes widened a little and she grinned.

"You mean that you… then there might be a…"

"There is… a baby growing right here. And she's yours." Liara clarified, smiling wide. Shepard was still in shock, but it was a happy surprise. She hugged Liara tightly and grinned.

"That's why everyone freaked when you got… Is she okay? Are you okay?"

"We're both perfectly healthy. The bullet didn't get far at all. My skin's a little tougher than yours."

"Good and you aren't prone to getting killed like me so I'm happy she's growing inside of you where she's safe." Shepard grinned, flipping them gently and undoing the straps and buttons that held Liara's clothing to her body.

"Shepard, what are you doing?" Liara giggled a little, playfully fighting the hands undressing her. Still, Jane won the struggle when Liara's natural curiosity won over her already weak desire for modesty. Liara didn't really have any reason to stay dressed and had never been ashamed of her body. Plus, Shepard had seen it all before, several times.

As the top of her body was exposed, Liara gave a light shiver, but smiled up at Shepard, watching the woman curiously. Shepard's hands ran over her breasts, noting the beginnings of their swelling. The baby would not be there for a while, but Liara's body had a lot of preparing to do in that time. There was a faint curve to her tummy to hint at the presence of a child behind it, but not enough to ever be noticed by anyone other than Jane, who had studied every inch of Dr. T'Soni's body, and Liara herself who knew her own body quite well, as any person does.

Shepard smiled and nuzzled softly into Liara's belly, her hands on either side, gently rubbing. Blue fingers slid gently into Jane's soft hair and Liara grinned, watching Shepard whisper to and kiss her stomach.

"We'll need to start getting things for her." Shepard said softly, smiling.

"We have a year, Shepard."

"A year?! But…"

"Humans and Asari are different. We age differently. We can live for a thousand years, you think our children would grow in the same amount of time?" Shepard pouted instantly which made Liara giggle. "What?"

"I want her now." This made Liara laugh fully, holding the other woman's head to her body.

"She needs to grow first. Her little body… then some arms and legs and her brain so she can learn all about Protheans and everything else she could ever possibly know… and she'll need her heart so she can learn to love us and her friends and family… and she'll need courage in that little heart because, knowing any child of yours, she'll be one for danger and explosions… and she'll need tough skin because I'm sure half of your scars are from your childhood of running around like a crazy person… and I may have fallen out of a tree once or twice in my life. And she'll need her own little personality, her own lungs so she can learn to sing or shout commands like her dad or speak eloquent speeches like her grandmother. And it's hard to do all that work in a year. She's a very busy little girl." Shepard thought, in that instant, she loved Liara even more. They shared a kiss and then a playful stroke and then the night. Jane was home and neither of them could be any happier than they were right then.

* * *

><p>AN: we're far from over! :D But Shepard's safe and at home.


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